Marker light for railway cars



Dec. 3, 1929. A. K, PEHRSON MARKER LIGHT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 20, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet WITNESS Wm Dec. 3, 1929. A. K. PEHRSON MARKER LIGHT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 20

INVENTOH Dec. 3, 1929. A. K. PEHRSON MARKER LIGHT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 20. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet INVEN A.

Dec. 3, 1929. A. K. PEHRSON 1,738,016

MARKER LIGHT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 20. 1927 4Sheets-Sheet 4 '5 a Q 0 O 0 a; at N RED Patented Dec. 3, 192.9

uarrsn STATES PATENT OFFIQE ALFRED K, PEHRSON, OF IBELLEVUE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PRESSED STEEL CAR COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY MARKER LIGHT FOR RAILWAY CARS Application filed September 20, 1927, Serial No. 220,695, and in Great Britain April 16, 1928.

My invention relates to marker lights on the exterior of railway cars and has for an object the provision of mechanical means for changing, from the interior of the car, the colors displayed by said marker lights.

Another object is the provision of an automatic locking device for preventing the accidental changing of the colors displayed by the marker lights.

A further object is the provision of means for indicating to the operator. in the interior of the car, the colors displayed by said exterior marker lights.

These and further objects will be apparent from the following specification.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of the end of a railway passenger car with the roof removed and showing the arrangement of marker lights and operatingmechanism; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the marker lights and operating mechanisin; Fig. 3 is a section through the marker lights along the lines 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is a section through the operating handle and indicating mechanism on the interior of the car along the lines H of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a View taken along the lines 5-5 of Fig. l showing in enlarged detail the locking plate; Fig. 6 is a side view of the locking plate; Fig. 7 is a view taken along the lines 77 of Fig. 4 showing an enlarged detail of the color plate and engaging teeth; Fig. 8 is another view of the color plate.

In the practice of my invention the color of the marker lights on the exterior of the car may be changed quickly and easily without the operator leaving his station on the interior of the car, and by the use of an indicating mechanism the colors displayed by the lights are indicated on the interior of the car. Another advantage lies in the combining of the indicating mechanisms and operating handle with a device which automatically locks the operating mechanism in place when the handle is released. Since the usual practice is to display at least two lights on each end of the ear and'the colors of such lights are not always the same, I have supplied separate control and operating mechanisms for each light. The invention is illustrated in the drawings as being embodied on a car of the subway type where the motorman is stationed in a cab to one side of the end of the car and the individual details are made to suit this type or construction, this being the reason the locking and indicating mechanisms, as will be later described, are located at one side of the car. However, it is to be understood that the location of the locking and indicating mechanisms can be arranged to suit the requirements of any particular type of car on which the invention is embodied and various ch anges can be made in the detail parts of the invention and still remain within the scope of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings where like reference characters refer to like parts, reference character 1 indicates the end portion of a railway car with the roof sheets removed to show the marker light operating mechanisms. Near each side of the end of the car and secured to the car near the roof sheets are clear glass lenses 2 held in suitable holders 3. Behind the lenses 2 and spaced so that the light will shine through the lenses suitable lighting elements 4 are placed, having suitable wiring 4 -A connected thereto. To one side of the lighting element is a frame 5 having a plurality of colored glasses 6 contained thereon. The frame 5 is rotatably mounted on a pivot member 7 and may be rotated so as to singly interpose the colored glasses be tween the lighting elemente and clear glass lens 2. The relation of the lighting element a and the colored glasses 6 to the lens 2 is 'such that when one colored glass is between the lighting element a and lens 2, the rays of ligl'it passing through the other colored glasses are not visible from the exterior of the car. The preferred arrangement of lens 2, lighting element at and frame 5 is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Ei itending outward from the base of the frame 5 near the pivot 7 is an arm 8 which connects to one end of the lever 9. The lever 9 extends from the arm 8 of the frame 5 to an arm 10 mounted on one end of the rod 11, which extends into the interior of the car body. These members constitute that part of the mechanism which is not in the interior of the car. Fig.

'ing an opening through which the rod 11 extends. As shown in Fig. '7 of the drawings, pl 12. a l e ity of e h At the baseof the test and between them are painted the elers t be d spl yed by the mar er l gh s.-

te th are arr ng d g eens e1 eeeh sie 9f the een er line .n er he p nnhery eitth plete at eaeih end e one 9.? the'g epl efepjlee d step 19 al. 51201- .S id hl y steamed 9.1 hererl 1 i l ektng ni ete i dap ed to engag w t the eeler plate .12 lJYhltttl et eitehi y termed te th .1 Whieih ere PJla' ed diam t el y epees te eaegh othe n a the per phery i the Pl te These teeth 7 hi betwe n the te th .llt-eff-t he eele plate 12 en when held in laeea erre'the sieehle PREP- 2599f indeating th eeler esp eyee "by t e marker lights and preventingthe rotation of the rod 11- One f the t e h 9f the Pla e 5 is lesser than he ether and n ages w h t step .en ;1 '20 et .eeler Plat to es i t the turning ef the eel 1. se a to m tain the frame .5 inoperabl Pe iti h a ll ti Qth'erwise mig be tur ed thtengh an em Jet 180 and vnet t nse the marker lights t dis-Pleythe eelers edi et d e the titl s. p ate; Th s lock ng Plat is sheen in Figs e d of th a ings- Sl -tlebly t eimted 01. h e d ef the red 11 is the i' e'ret hg han le .15- Z lh s h d e 1 has e t ane efs pening t ro h ts h b h eh is elonga d in e sl ee l g t e telly et h hut end't reu h wh the pie 1 Passed en h gh red h in 1 8 thu res-tri t th sliding et en 0 t e ,..end 'li3 n the e .1 and pre ent teties-seamen wit e pe't te e e T ene es in t e end ef he hub t rewhieh t e ed 5 enters. isjen e g d f e per: ti ie I its length a d. e ee t ps s n se e it i plate fi ete n ev n-sling t e eel 1. ihe ee -legit i se ted a ene e d th pin .8 and is initially eempresseel at the her nd by the p a e 15 vhieh s fastened te the end ef the .-;eh end eles ng the .epee g the ei seine i t ee s tfiet nt yih t e y pressed .se te heldthe leekins Plate 15 eeeteef with. the eeleepl e 2.- At he ethe the i l? et the eeeteti i hand e e then 9? tie reenh et esteeels s either see en at ight eagles te, thee-ed eee nrevielese meets tee green ng end te ei the h ndle. This a embly ef the hand e with the rod 11 and plates 12 and 15 is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 7 of the drawings with the indicating mechanism and frame 5 in position as shown in Fig. 2, the marker lights would show white on the lefthand side of the end of the car and yellow on the right-hand side. Assuming that the yellow light is showing, should the operator desire .to display a white light on both sides ofthe .end of the car, the operation of changing the yellow light to white would be as follows :The operator would grasp the han die 13 of the locking and operating mechanism for the frame on the right-hand side of the car and would pull downward, compressing the spring 14: until the upper side of the slot in the handle strikes the pin 18. The teeth and 17-11 will now be below the teeth 16 on the plate 12 and the handle is turned until the tooth 1711 on the plate 15 strikes the stop 19 on the plate 12. This would cause a eorresponding movement of the frame 5 through the rod 11 and levers 9 and place the frame 5 in the aosition 5A Shown in Fig, 1. The rays of ight from the lighting element 1 can now shine uninterruptedthrough the clear glass lens, giving a white light. The operator then releases the handle and the spring let forces the teeth 17 and 17A of the plate 15 into one of the spaces 16 of the color plate 12 and holds them there and thus locks the frame 5 in position and prevents any accidental movement of the frame in either direction. Since these mechanisms are preferably placed in the roof of the motormans cab near the car controls the niotorman, when desiring to change either light, can grasp the appropriate han- ,dle pulling downward and turn the handle until the teeth on the locking plate are in line with the desired colored marking on the color plate and release the handle.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an interior control for railway car marker lights, a locking device comprising a revolving shaft extending through the car frame, connected at one end of the marker light actuating mechanism and the other and secured to the locking mechanism, said mechanism comprising a disc secured to the car frame and an engaging huh secured to the shaft,saidhub being open at one end and ;closed at the other end by a handie, the ,open end containing a compression spring and being secured to sl a lt by apin Pitssipg thron h the hub and shaft below thesp ing, h3g5} on the upper portion of the huh enges ee sneeed teeth t ehere m at eeed thee te pre ent ee nta u ng e the haft. eele'rs bet n he t th o s 2; dis: being the same es the e rs te be shown by t e marke l ght, see 9: sa d teeth en h being slightly longer than the other to inclieate the same color on the disc as is shown by the marker light, the compression spring in the hub being capable of being compressed so as to allow disengagement between the teeth of the hub and the disc to allow changing of the colors of the marker light.

2. The combination in a system of marker lights for a railway car of a lined exterior lighting element, a frame containing colored signal glasses partly sin'ronnding said ligh"- ing element, a color plate on the interior of said car, spaced colored markings on said plate corresponding to the colors of the signals, an operating mechanism for rotating said frame, extending through said color plate to means connected with said frame, and a member extending from said operating mechanism for indicating on the color plate the color of the signals displayed.

3. The combination in a system of marker lights for a railway car of a fixed exterior lighting element, a rotatable frame containing spaced transparent colored signals partially surrounding said lighting element, a member connecting said frame to an oi ierating mechanism on the interior of the car, said mechanism comprising a plate fixed to the interior of the car, spaced teeth on said plate and colors, corresponding to those of the signals, at the base of said teeth, a rotatable shaft extending through said color plate and having a connection to the signal frame at one end and a handle at the other end, means on said handle for engagement with the teeth of said color plate, one of said means being tended to indicate on the color plate the color of the signal displayed, and means between said shaft and handle premitting a longitudinal movement of said handle for disengaging said handle from the color plate to permit turning of said frame.

4:. In a system of marker lights for a railway car, the combination of an exterior light ing element partly surrounded by a rotatable frame, transparent colored signal in said frame, a plate secured to the interim. of the car, spaced. teeth on said plate, a rotatable shaft projecting through said plate connected at one end to said frame, and having a handie on the other end, teeth on said handle normally engaging those of said plate, and means on said handle permitting movement longitudinally of the shaft to allow turning of said frame.

5. In a system of marker lights for a rail way car, the combination of a fixed exterior lighting element partly surrounded by a retatable frame, transparent colored signal glasses in said frame, a color plate secured to the interior of the car, spaced teeth on said color plate, colors between said teeth corresponding to those of the signal glasses, a rotatable shaft projecting through said color plate connected at one end to said frame and ALFRED K. PEHRSON. 

